I agree. They should either declare themselves as Republican, or get the hell out of the way. Much like, [I assume] you think Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are "RINO's" ... I think Max Baucus and Kent Conrad are "DINO's".. fair enough?
If all the conservatives in the House and Senate were required to join the Republican Party, would the Republicans be a majority in Congress?
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Probably not. As you already know however, the term "conservative" and the term "liberal" have ceased to have any connection with their historical roots.
As long as the Blue Dogs think they can remain part of the Democratic Party, they need to be told to tow the line or they might as well quit and become either Independents or Republicans (with whom they most agree).
I think the tipping point has passed. Even if the Dems do manage to threaten, cajole, and bribe their numbers into line, if they pass this by themselves, the fallout is going to be something we may not have witnessed in modern history. And the Catch-22 the Dems face is that many of the wiser ones have figured this out. Over in the much more measured Senate, Obamacare may actually be DOA.
MOST Americans want health care reform passed...and they want it passed THIS YEAR, too
I would agree with that statement to a point. Most Americans DO want health care reform. They simply want something intelligent to read, they want to know the contents, and they want to be a part of the process. This is much different than some innocuous legislation allowing left turn on red. This is important, and affects generations to come. Why is that such a hard thing to do? The bluedogs know their constituents. They know the people who sent them there. They are the ones I respect more than the democrats or the republicans.
~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~
Janie for every one of these sites you have pulled up to show healthcare reform support, I can pull up two to show that's bull. Just today it was announced on the news that over 60,000 AARP members have dropped their membership to that organization due to Obama's saying that the AARP supports his reform. I have said and I say it again, no new health care bill is needed...........just fix what's broke. The only part of the health care in this country that's broke is the part the government runs. Now tell me I want to turn my health care over to a government that wrote this garbage and stuck us with it years ago and now they want to write and stick us with some more garbageand a complete take over. No Thanks.
I would agree with that statement to a point. Most Americans DO want health care reform. They simply want something intelligent to read, they want to know the contents, and they want to be a part of the process. This is much different than some innocuous legislation allowing left turn on red. This is important, and affects generations to come. Why is that such a hard thing to do? The bluedogs know their constituents. They know the people who sent them there. They are the ones I respect more than the democrats or the republicans.
That's the beauty/unintended consequence of the current effort. The lunatics took over the asylum during the Bush years, and the "moderates" let them do it. Old tactics like "triangulation" that the Clintons used so well went right out the window. The boundless arrogance of the loon-Left, represented so well by Obama/Reid/Pelosi, and the thugs on Obama's staff, led them to believe that nothing of the sort was necessary. They had the numbers, screw everything, and everybody. No need to read, no need for any bi-partisan appeal, the media was in their pocket, happy days!
In the end, all it did was reveal them for who they actually are, *far* more than they should have ever done, or have ever really done in the past. Just a *smidgen* of humility, a simple nod and some lip-service to bi-partisanship, and they might have paved themselves a golden path for eight years. Arrogance has always been their undoing, and the dumber, and less expereinced they are, the more it shows.
BREAKING: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has sent letters to dozens of major health insurance companies demanding extensive financial data for an examination of executive compensation and other business practices in the health insurance industry.
By Sept. 4, the firms are supposed to supply detailed compensation data for board members and top executives, as well as a table listing all conferences, retreats, or other events held outside company facilities from January 1, 2007, to the present that were paid for, reimbursed, or subsidized in whole or in part by your company. For employees or officers making $500,000 or more, the committee wants information on salary, bonus, options and pension.
And by Sept. 14, the firms are supposed to provide copies of reports from compensation consultants, plus board drafts of compensation plans, and information about market share. ????
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bark Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, signed the three-page letters, dated Monday, and obtained by POLITICOs Carrie Budoff Brown.
An industry source replied when asked for comment: This is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded fishing expedition designed to silence health plans."
APs David Espo: Nick Choate, a spokesman for Stupak, said 52 letters were sent late Monday to the nation's largest health insurers, those with $2 billion or more in annual premiums. He said letters were not sent to other industry groups, some of which have been airing television advertising in support of Obama's call for legislation.
